Folding carrier-frame.



PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907.

G. J. MUINTOSH. FOLDING CARRIER FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1905.

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THE NORRIS r-srszs c0., WASHINGTDN, n. c.

o. 863,082; PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907. o. J. MGINTOSH.

FOLDING CARRIER FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1905.

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lAkMl/l/l HE NORRIS PETE:

PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907 APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- THE NORRIS PETERS WASHINGTON o c I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. MoINTOSH, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO J. I. CASE THRESHING MACHINE COMPANY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION.

FOLDING CARRIER-FRAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed July 17,1905. Serial No. 269,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. Moln'rosn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Racine, county of Racine, and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Carrier- Frames, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to improvements in folding carrier frames of feeders for threshing machines and the like, and seeks to provide a simple and efiicient construction comprising two hinged sections with supporting connections so arranged that the weight of the inner section will balance the weight of the outer section and tend to swing it into operative position.

Further objects of the invention is to so arrange the supporting connections that the frame sections will be automatically locked in operative position.

The invention consists in the features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the feeding attachment for threshing machines, with the improved folding carrier frame applied thereto. 2 is a longitudinal section of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view with the outer portion of the carrier frame broken away. Fig. 4 is a side elevation with the parts shown in folded position.

The main frame of the feeder comprises the front and rear uprights 10 and the intermediate connections 11. These uprights and connections may be conveniently formed of angle bars of iron or steel. The main frame is covered with a suitable inclosing sheathing 12 and is connected to the front end 13 of the threshing machine, as indicated in Fig. 1. Within the main frame or casing are arranged the band-cutting knives 14 carried at their rear ends by swinging arms 15 and connected at their forward ends to the cranked drive shaft 16. Beneath the knives are arranged the feeding bottom portion 17 and the retarding disks 18. These parts form no portion of the present invention and need not be more fully described. The main frame or casing of the feeder also serves as a support for the carrier frame. The latter preferably comprises inner and outer frame sections 19 and 20. Each section comprises side bars 21, connecting cross bars 22 and a bottom 23. The inner section 19 is provided with triangular shaped side Walls 24 adapted to slide between the forwardly projecting portions 25 of theside walls of the main frame. The outer section 20 is provided with flaring side walls 26 that, in folded position, set between the flanged portions 27 at the outer ends of the side walls 24 of the inner frame section.

The raddle or carrier comprises the cross slats 28 connected to the endless chains 29. The carrier or raddle is arranged to move over the bottom floor 23 of the folding carrier sections; At the outer end the chains 29 pass over the sprockets 30 mounted on a cross shaft 31. At the inner end of the carrier the chains pass over sprockets 32 mounted on the drive shaft 33. Shaft 33 is driven from the shaft 34, which carries the retarding disks 18, by chains 35 that pass over the sprocket wheels 36 and 37 fixed to the respective shafts. The main drive shaft 16 carries a pulley 37 on one end by which the feeder is belted to one of the drive shafts of the threshing machine. At its opposite end the shaft is provided with pulleys 38, either one of which may be connected to one of a pair of pulleys 39 on the shaft 34 by a belt 40. Pulleys 38 and 39 are of different sizes so that the carrier may be driven at different speeds relatively to that of the band-cutting knives.

The drive shaft 33 for the endless carrier is journaled at its ends in brackets 41 fixed to the lower ends of the front uprights 10 of the main supporting frame. The inner frame section 19 of the carrier frame is provided with brackets 41 engaging the shaft 33 (see 4), so that the inner frame section is hinged or pivoted to the main frame or support. The outer section 20 of the carrier frame is provided at its inner end with hinge-brackets 43 that are connected by pintles 44 to hinge-brackets 45 on the outer ends of the inner frame section 19. The hinge brackets 430i the outer frame section are preferably triangular, as shown, and the pivots or hinge pintles 44 are at the lower corners of these brackets. The main connecting links or rods 46 engage pintles or pivot bolts 47 at the upper portions of the brackets 43. Rock arms or levers preferably in the form of bell cranks are connected by pivot bolts 49 to the upper ends of the front uprights 10 of the main frame or support. One arm of each of the rocking rock arms or bell crank levers 48 carries a pivot or stud 50 having a sleeve 51 on its outer end. The rear ends of the main connecting links 46 extend through the sleeves 51 and are provided with adjusting nuts 52 threaded upon the rods and engaging the coupling sleeves 51. Supplemental connecting links or rods 53 extend between the hinge pintles 44 and the pivot bolts 54 on the other arms of the rocking rock arms or bell crank levers 48.

When the sections of the carrier frame are folded for convenience in transportation, the outer section will be swung in toward the main frame and held in folded position by hooks 55 which are arranged to engage loops 56 pivoted on the side bars 21 of the outer section. In this folded position shown in full lines in Fig. 4, and in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the inner frame section 19, by reason of the arrangement of the connecting links, will be held up as indicated, above its operative position. In this position, the main connecting links 46 will extend across the supplemental links and their rear ends will be outside and above the pivots 49 of leased from the hooks 55, it will swing outwardly of its own weight and move the pivot 54 of the supplemental links 53 away from the dead center so that the leverage of the inner section will gradually increase and its weight will balance in part that of the outer section and tend to force it toward its extreme operating position, and the operator of the machine may thus readily move the sections into line when the carrier is desired for use.

The outward movement of the carrier frame sections is limited by the engagement of the adjacent straight edges of the hinge brackets 43 and 45, which are so arranged that the outer section cannot be swung beyond its operative position in straight line with the inner section 19. During the movement of the frame sections to their extended position, the rock levers 48 will swing backwardly and these levers and the main connecting links 46 are so arranged that in the extreme extended positions of the frame sections, the rear ends of the links or rods 46 will be below the pivots 49 of the bell-levers. In other words, the connecting links 46 will be shifted past their dead center position so that the downward pull of the outer section on the main supporting link 46, cannot turn the rock lever 48 forwardly. At the same time the supplemental connecting links 53 and the arms of the bell-levers 48 to which they are connected, are so arranged as to prevent the downward movement or overthrow of the belllevers. The frame sections are thus automatically locked in their extended operative position. The operator of the machine may, however, to fold the carrier frame, lift up at the hinged joint 44 between the sections and thus readily break the'joint between the frame sections and move them sufficiently to shift the main supporting links 46 and belllevers 48 forwardly past their dead center position. As soon as this is effected, the weight of the outer section will then be exerted through the main connecting links 46, rockarms 48 and links 53 to swing all parts towards their folded position. During this backward swing of the outer section, the weight of the inner section will be exerted as before, to balance the weight of the outer section, but as the outer section approaches the end of its backward swing, the supplemental links 46 approaches their dead center position shown in Fig. 4 so that the leverage of the inner section is gradually diminished and the outer frame section, after it has swung to vertical position during its backward movement, may be readily raised by the operator and locked in folded position with the hooks 55.

With the arrangement of the connection or suspension links and bell-levers described, the weight of the inner section tends to balance that of the other and the operator is assisted in shifting the sections, both to their extended operating position and back to their folded position. Moreover, the sections are automatically locked in their extended position and no additional devices are required for preventing the sections from buckling while in use.

The inner section of the carrier frame is provided with side brackets 57 having guide pulleys 58 that engage the lower portion of the carrier chains 29 of the raddle or carrier. At its outer end the inner section is also provided with chains 59 having hooks 60. When the carrier frame is to be folded the chain 59 is looped above the lower portions of the carrier chains 29 so as to hold them in place as indicated in Fig. 4. The outer frame section is provided near its inner end with side brackets 61 having rearwardly extending curved portions 62 (see Figs. 2 and 4) that engage the upper portions of the chains 29 when the carrier frame is folded so as to prevent displacement of the chains.

It is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the details of structure without departure from the essentials of the invention. It should also be noted that, while the folding frame is specially designed for the carriers or raddles of feeders for threshing machines, it may be readily adapted for other uses where it is desirable to fold the carrier frame out of the way.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a suitable support and with a folding frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to said supports, of a connection between the support and said outer section, and a rock-lever on one of said connected parts to which said connection is pivoted, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a suitable support and with a folding frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to said supports, of a connecting link between the support and said outer section, a rock-lever on one of said connected parts to which said link is pivoted, said link and rock-lever being arranged to swing on opposite sides of the dead center p0- sition as said frame sections are folded and extended, and means for preventing overthrow of said rock-arm and link in the extended position of said frame sections, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a suitable support and with a folding frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to the support, of a rock-lever pivoted on the support and a connection between said rock-lever and said outer section, said connection being arranged to shift on opposite sides of the pivotof said rock-lever as the frame sections are shifted, and means for preventing overthrow of said rock-lever when the sections are in extended position, whereby said sections will be automatically locked in such position, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a suitable support and with a folding frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to the support,-

of a rock-lever pivoted on the support and a connection between said rock-lever and said outer section, supplemental connections between said rock-lever and said folding frame to prevent overthrow of said lever when the sections are in extended position, substantially as described.

The combination with a suitable support, and with a folding frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged or pivoted together, said inner section being pivoted to the support, of a rocking bell-lever pivoted to said support, a main connection between one arm of said bell lever and said outer section and a supplemental connecting rod between said folding frame and the other arm of said belllever, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a suitable support, and with a folding frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged or pivoted together, said inner section being pivoted to the support, of a rock-lever pivoted to the support and main and supplemental connections between said lever and said folding frame sections whereby the weight of said inner section tends to balance that of the outer sections, said connections and rock-lever being so arranged that the leverage of said inner section diminishes as the outer section is swung toward its folded position, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a suitable support, and with a folding frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged or pivoted together, said inner section being pivoted to the support, of a rock-lever pivoted to said support, a main connection between said rock-lever and the outer frame section and a supplemental rod connecting said rock-lever and the hinge pintle connecting said folding frame sections, substantially as described.

8. In feeders for threshing machines, the combination with the main irame and with the folding carrier frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to said main frame, of means connecting said main frame and sections, comprising a rock-arm and connecting link arranged to swing on opposite sides of the pivot of said rock-arm and means for preventing overthrow of said rock-arm in the extended position of said carrier frame, whereby the latter is antomatically locked in such position, substantially as described.

9. In feeders for threshing machines, the combination with the main frame and with the folding carrier frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to said main frame, of rocklevers pivoted to said main frame, main connecting links or rods between said rock-levers and the outer section, and supplemental connectin links or rods between said rock-levers and said folding carrier frame, substantially as described.

10. In feeders for threshing machines, the combination with the main frame and with the folding carrier frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to said main frame, rock levers pivoted to said main frame, connecting links between said rock-arms and the outer carrier sections arranged to swing on opposite sides of the pivots of said rock-levers as the carrier frame is folded and extended, and supplemental connecting rods extending between said inner section and said rock-arms, substantiallyas described.

11. The combination with a suitable support and with the folding frame comprising inner and outer sections, of

hinge brackets fixed to the adjacent ends of said sections swiveled together and having abutting faces to prevent movement of said outer section beyond its operative position in line with said inner section and supporting connections comprising rock-levers pivoted to said support and main links connecting said rock-levers and said outer sections arranged to automatically lock said frame sec tions in extended position, substantially as described.

12. In feeders for threshing machines, the combination with the main frame and with the folding carrier frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to the main frame, of supporting connections between said main frame and the outer section comprising a rock-lever pivoted on one of said parts and a link extending between said rock-lever and the other part and means for controlling the movement of said rock-lever, substantially as described.

13. In feeders for threshing machines, the combination with the main frame and with the folding carrier frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to the main frame, of supporting connections comprising a rock-lever pivoted on said main frame and main and supplemental connecting links extending between said rock-lever and the folding frame sections, substantially as described.

14. In feeders for threshing machines, the combination with the main frame and with the folding carrier frame comprising inner and outer sections hinged together, said inner section being hinged to the main frame, of supporting connections extending from said main frame for holding the frame section in extended position but permitting the shift of said sections to folded position, an endless carrier or raddle on said frame sections comprising side chains and cross-slats, and brackets fixed to the rear edge of the outer section and having rearwardly extended, curved projections for supporting the upper portions of said chains in the folded position of said sections, substantially as described.

CHARLES J. MCINTOSH.

Witnesses:

E. E. RUssnLL, W. N. RAMSEY. 

